Plastic Alto with Mark Weiss

Photo by Terry Acebo Davis

pasting in my submission to Sierra club, minus the actual names and emails of their people

Mark Weiss:

Congratulations on your decision to run for Palo Alto City Council this fall. If you are interested in receiving the endorsements of the Sierra Club and the League of Conservation Voters (LCV), please follow the process described in this email. FYI, candidates that we endorse have won about 85% of the time.

If you are not interested in receiving our endorsements, please let us know.

The Sierra Club and the LCV will jointly host in person interviews. Interested candidates will be interviewed for 30 minutes on Wednesday, August 27, starting at 6:30 p.m. Interviews will be held at the home of D_ and N_ A_ at {#@&^} in Palo Alto.

If you’d like to be interviewed and considered for our endorsement, please respond to the attached questionnaire and return your answers by Thursday, August 21. We ask that you return your responses as an attached file and in the text of your email.

We will give you an interview time after we receive your completed questionnaire. After interviews are conducted, the Sierra Club and the LCV make separate endorsement decisions. You will receive an e-mail on LCV’s endorsement decision the evening of September 8. The Sierra Club’s decision will be made around Sept. 12.

If you have questions, we are happy to answer them. Thanks for your commitment to public service!

D_ O_ and T_ T__l

for the Sierra Club and the LCV

PS 2 attachments, one of which is copied here:

Sierra Club & League of Conservation Voters (LCV)

City Council Candidate Questionnaire

Due by August 21 to {#@&^}@yahoo.com

Candidate Information

Name:

Office being sought: member, Palo Alto City Council

Campaign manager &

Office Address: just me: 1788 Oak Creek Drive #217 Palo Alto, CA 94304

FPPC ID: none

Phone: 650 305 XXXX

Website: none, other than numerous posts at “Plastic Alto” a wordpress blog, aka markweiss86/wordpress

{

Etaoin Shrudlu} at #@&^@hotmail.com. Please do not embed the photo into the email as our layout person can not copy it with the resolution needed for publication. (You can cut and paste as you see fit from numerous selfies and the like on my blog or out there in the blogosphere…)

In answering these questions, please remember that most of our endorsement decision is based upon your environmental accomplishments.

Please provide explanations with your answer and please include the original question with your response. Your response must be returned in the text of an e-mail, and as an attached file. The file must include your name in it. Whatever. Will re-send as such.

Palo Alto Specific Questions

A. Given the attached map’s description of potential future impacts to Palo Alto, and given the growing political awareness of sea-level-rise as an issue needing attention, what do you believe Palo Alto should be doing now in anticipation of this inevitability?

I would underplay this question; It’s a macro-issue and we are micro-dealers. Maybe we should all visit New Orleans. Or Napa. (I went to New Orleans, on business, music business, six times in 2003 and 2004 and not since Katrina. Napa we visited last month — you heard there was an earthquake there, although that is more relevant in disaster preparedness overall than global warming of sea-level-rise per se. Maybe we can dig out the 100 homes we put in Baylands to build Oregon Expressway.

B. Assuming that the Measure D results reasonably reflected Palo Alto public opinion at that time, do you think recent policy changes by the City Council are a sufficient response? If not, please tell us what further steps you believe the Council and Staff should take?

I think Measure D Referendum on Maybell Dense Housing is a red herring. I am not convinced that the voters realize how corrupt and unrepresentative our leadership is. Certainly as someone ringing alarms since at least the 2012 campaign, and arguably since 2009, I hope se. I don’t think response by council is sufficient. It is election-season changing of stripes. Meanwhile, there is a huge scam around flushing the Comp Plan / General Plan into the Bay. We should enforce current and existing Comp Plan.

C. What role, if any, do you believe the City of Palo Alto should take to preserve the 126 affordable housing units in Buena Vista mobile home park? This is a great question. Meanwhile, City Attorney Stump is issuing a gag order to candidates, which I hope to challenge. I’ve been saying for a while that the moral thing to do is enforce the covenant; leadership should broker a deal between the Residents-turning-HOA (and their counsel Winter Dellanback) and the current owner. Give him a fair small profit and buy him out be rid of him. (There is a bona fide deal from a bank to help the residents buy the property, as reported; the landlord is pushing for an upzoning and partnership from a commercial developer.

I would rather speak out and have Molly try to make me recuse. I am not sure her legal grounds, but I will look into it.

General Questions

1. We consider your past record as the best indicator of your future action for the environment. What have you done to protect natural resources and the environment?

I’m on a 20-year conversion and am arguably the most environmental person in the race. My footprint is pretty small. Earthwise Productions is a spin-off of Bay Area Action, by the way. I will elaborate time permitting here.

2. What do you regard as the major environmental and conservation issues facing Palo Alto and the Bay Area as a whole?

I would say it’s still consumerism and greed and the Seven Deadly Sins since time began. Now it’s Income Inequality as described by Robert Reich in his film, contributing factor. I think green-washing more than environmentalism has made more gains since 1992, and especially since David Brower died. I recall hearing him speak circa 1993 at Commonwealth Club, and taking my Dad and him greeting Mr. Goldman (funder of the Goldman Award) who he knew from the Jewish Mafia, and was introduced to. Also, War, this is a problem. I was the only candidate in 2009 or 2012 to try to link the War (Afghanistan, Iraq) to our local actions. Seven thousand dead. Lots of environmental damage as well. (100,000 plus foreign dead).

3. What are the principal areas of the environment that you will work on if elected? How will you deal with them?

I want to add a park at Ventura District, former Fry’s site (current site). Per Quimby and our Comp Plan. We are actually in a parks deficit here and now.

4. Are you a Sierra Club member? Membership is not required for endorsement. I’m gonna fish for an endorsement from Adam what’s his name, the young whiz kid former Sierra Club head, who went to work for Walmart — I know slightly from the music scene. He shared an office in SF with Jordan Kurland. I worked on contract for Helena Norberg Hodge, whose book was published by Sierra Club Books, a division of Random House. I recently tried to get Duane Elgin (Voluntary Simplicity) to stump for me; his son lives here.

Climate Change

5. What else should Palo Alto do to reduce greenhouse gas generation?

Get rid of Jim Keene.

6. What do you do as an individual to reduce your GHG generation?

Ride my bike when I can.

Green Building

7. What more can be done to ensure that all new construction and remodeling incorporate green building principles?

I think “net zero” is a scam. I’d rather see a moratorium on new starts. See my comments on 420 Cambridge.

8. What types of projects would you support to provide people with an alternative to the private auto?

Not über certainly. (Tax them!). I think CalTrain needs some love. TDM’s all over.

9. Where would you include affordable housing?

How about in Milpitas? I’d rather subsidize for teachers, artists and public safety than merely throw a bone to the lottery-winning poor. There are needs more encompassing for gerontology and elders — I know from personal experience, my parents, much more than in 2012 and 2009. But this may be beyond the scope of environmentalism per se.

Open Space & Urban Recreation – Access to Nature

10. How will you ensure that residents in Palo Alto will have access to safe and enjoyable parks and open space?

I am reading the Comp Plan plus the revised Attach on Comp Plan and will report back.

Water Conservation & Recycling, Rivers & Creeks

11. California will continue to face increasing droughts, what is the most important water-related issue for Palo Alto and what policies or actions would you advocate for your city to address this issue? I am trying to get my childhood friend and co-editor of the Gunn Oracle Greg Zlotnick to advise me on all things wet and pure, but so far is not helping me much. I think we could reform agro first.

12. What is your position on stream setback requirements for development? Do you believe current requirements are too strict, too lax, or just right?

Not sure

Wildlife

13. What would you do to help preserve wildlife habitat, wildlife corridors, and in the face of pressures from the growing human population?

Not sure

14. Would you support the development of a bird safe buildings ordinance?

I think this Shani person is engaging and worth hearing out. Not sure.

Zero Waste and Extended Producer Responsibility

15. Where do the yard-waste and food-waste collected in Palo Alto go, and how effective is this program in Palo Alto? Good question . I wonder somehow. I want to re-read Ecology of Commerce by Paul Hawken.

16. Many waste management companies use organics as daily cover at landfills. This causes methane release. Will you support a statewide ban of organics from landfills and from any form of high temperature energy generation facilities like gasification or incineration of mixed waste? Maybe. Where can I read more?

17. Will you push Palo Alto and Santa Clara County to adopt an ordinance requiring drug manufacturers to pay for programs to collect unused and expired medications similar to the one recently adopted by Alameda County? That’s worth looking into. Reminds me of my former Daily Dartmouth colleague Dan Fagin won the 2014 Pulitzer for science writing about Toms River NJ — he might be a good person to shed light nationally on this issue, assertion.

Campaign Reform

18. Will you support a constitutional amendment to overturn Citizens United?

I was actually the first person in Palo Alto to go on record on this. I texted Yiaway Yeh then mayor about this, while listening to a lecture by Jeff Clements (another Dartmouth connection) — that I do not accept campaign contributions, through 2.10 cycles of election and counting –heck, I haven’t spent a dime — are yard signs environmental? — is consistent with my concern with Citizens and McCutcheon. I am by far the cleanest person within 20 miles of this race, and since Ladoris Cordell on this issue. I also asked three candidates to agree to a voluntary cap on spending for this race and so far no takers. Will persevere.

Campaign Readiness –

Tell us about your campaign readiness, including funding, volunteers, and organization. Please bring examples of your prior and current campaign literature.

I have more than 20 endorsements so far:

Matt Gonzalez, former Green Party candidate for Vice President of the U.S, former SF supe, former SF Mayoral candidate.

Chris Gaither, former Palo Alto council candidate

Paul Weiss, big Democratic giver, Jewish community leader, arts philanthropist, my dad, and Rotarian

Greg Brown, artist, former Palo Alto Staff

Terry Acebo Davis, CRONA nurse, artist, former Arts Commissioner

Einer Sunde, attorney, Former Arts Commissioner

Paula Kirkeby, former Arts commissioner

Deirdre Crommie, Parks Commissioner

Hans Delannoy, Peninsula hoops legend, educator, coach

Joe Zirker (Menlo Park) artist

Henry Ford, NFL black pioneer

Rochelle Ford, artist

Steve Koehler, twists balloons at farmers market

1. Please list your endorsements. If they are on your website – please just insert your URL.

2. Please include below an exact copy of your ballot statement as submitted at filing.

this is pretty close:

I am running for Council in the tradition of Simitian, Fazzino and Yeh, who were student leaders here and evolved into public service. I graduated from Gunn( 1982) and Dartmouth College (1986) where I was an English major but also read philosophy, history and government. My campaign expands on five years of serious study of and engagement with local policy and the growing sense that leadership does not represent the interests of the citizens, and instead has been significantly undermined by special interests such as commercial real estate developers. Much of my 2012 platform was incorporated into the new Residentialist movement, the referendum on housing, and is consistent with the findings of the Santa Clara Grand Jury 6/16/14 about 27 University. I feel that my qualifications and values best represent the rank-and-file citizens here, especially those who are the product of PAUSD schools or are long-term residents. I also plan to draw significant support from environmentalists, parks advocates and the 40 percent of citizens who rent. I advise my fellow Palo Altans to lean in NOW on the Comp Plan ratification process. Why flush 120 years of history into the Bay for short term gain or greed? Plato’s Republic | Plastic Alto with Mark Weiss

I’m doing two versions of this, the speed-ready version, in case you have a 10:30 or so deadline, and 2) the semi-rushed version, in case you mean midnight Sunday, Aug. 24 as your extended deadline. You also have on file my 2012 responses, that I published on “Plastic Alto” the blog, and maybe 2009. Also, I plan to write a general statement defining my 20-year conversion to Green, coinciding with the formation of Earthwise Productions, the small for-profit socially-conscious business of which I am the CEO.

edit to add:

I doubt Adam Werbach is going to endorse me, but I am curious enough to hit him up and report back.

I wrote about “garbage-to-energy revolution” for Worcester Telegram…in 1985.

enclosed is a photo…there are many others.. good night!